Starting at UF, Michelle Obama vies for Florida's youth vote

First Lady Michelle Obama hit familiar notes as she spoke to an electric,
10,750-person crowd at the Stephen O’Connell Center in Gainesville Monday.

But for many students who waited hours for tickets to Obama’s speech and
filled the bleachers two hours early, you’d think it was 2008 all over again
and they were hearing the message for the first time.

“We’re all a part of something,” she said, the audience roaring. “With our
freedoms come obligations, and with our blessings comes our duty to give back to
those who have less.”

In an effort to drive out the youth vote that helped get her husband elected
in 2008, Obama stopped in Gainesville (before heading to Tallahassee) to implore
students to organize, to make phone calls, to knock on doors and to vote for her
husband.

“All our hard work, all the progress we’ve made is all on the line, it’s all
at stake this November,” she said. “This election is even closer than the last
one, and it could all come down to what happens in just a few battleground
states like Florida.”

She appeared relaxed and said she was going off script at times, stopping to
answer audience members who called out to her.

“Listen to me...not as The First Lady...listen to me as though I was your
mother,” she said, her voice hitting a stern lilt. “We need every single one of
you to work like you’ve never worked before. Young people have always driven
Barack’s campaign with your energy and passion.

“We need you to talk to everyone you know. Let them know what this election
means for your future. Remind them of all the things this president has
accomplished. Make sure, most importantly, that you and they are registered to
vote.”

The crowd stood throughout the speech, often cheering so loud they drowned
Obama out.

This is hardly the Obama campaign’s first effort to reach out to the
university.

Weeks ago, an image of President Barack Obama at Gator’s Dockside in Orlando,
arms splayed in a Gator Chomp, went viral on Facebook and other social media
sites.

Michelle Obama also spoke in Gainesville during the 2008 campaign. And the UF Fightin’
Gator Marching Band performed for The First Lady during a July visit to
London.

Freshman Natalie Boruk, after the speech, said she's more sure she'll vote
for the president than ever.

"I don't know that much about the policy issues, but I think (the speech) was
really inspirational," she said. "(Obama) is a real person, and you can tell
she's genuine."

But outside the stadium on Monday, opinions were mixed.

Popular Gainesville Mayor Craig Lowe, a Democrat, frequently stumps for the
president.

Political posters for both parties line the campus buildings and the UF
College Democrats register voters of both parties daily on the campus’s two main
plazas. The Republican student groups aren’t active in registering voters, said
Austin Swink, communications director for Gators for Romney.

Student leaders did not know how many peers they’d registered. But, as of
Monday afternoon, about 77,325 Democrats, 45,208 Republicans and 35, 148 other
voters had registered in Alachua County, according to the Supervisor of
Elections website.

Some students say Romney is gaining momentum, evidenced by the 60 to
100 people who show up at biweekly Gators for Romney meetings and by the group's
1,493 likes on Facebook (compared to the 1,070 likes of Gators for Obama).

Two Romney campaign busses have stopped in Gainesville, but Romney and Ryan
have no scheduled events there.

Vice presidential pick Paul Ryan may have also helped swing some students in
Romney’s favor, said Swink.

“People who may not have been as involved in this campaign…the Paul Ryan
speech (at the Republican National Convention) may have revitalized them” Swink
said. “He could be any one of us in 10 years. I think a lot of students really
identify with him.”

Before the First Lady’s speech, a handful of students held pro-Romney signs
at the street corner outside the forum with slogans like “Romney: the real job
creator” and “We did build that.”

“UF is notorious for being a liberal campus, but there are Republicans out
there,” said Christina Strasser, a political science and criminology junior.
“That’s why we’re here trying to get people excited.”

Some supporters honked as they drove by, but some seemed irritated.

“Nobody likes Romney!” yelled one student, as she walked by.

Lemane Delval, a food science graduate student who voted for Obama in 2008,
said he’s undecided about who he will vote for in November. He stood in line two
hours to get Michelle Obama tickets, more out of curiosity than because of a
fervor for the president.

The top concern for students, Delval believes, is education. Obama’s policies
have helped make student loans affordable, he said. But many young people are
worried about graduating without jobs, something maybe Romney could address.

“I think students are still enthusiastic about (Obama), but not as much as in
2008,” he said.